What would make a perfect fast bowler? Probably one who approaches the crease with fluid, long strides. The rhythmic run-up is followed by a wreaking finish, sending shivers down the spine of a batter. In this modern age of limited-overs cricket, you may not necessarily find a bowler with such characteristics. Yet, there is Jasprit Bumrah, who has turned into a complete pace bowler in a format where the batting tribe is chasing down scores of 150 in a mere 10 overs.
In the third T20I against New Zealand, Bumrah showcased that he had lost none of his ability. The context here is that ever since Bumrah returned from his latest back problem, there have been murmurs that he has lost a hint of nip. But in that third game, Bumrah’s quickest delivery clocked just over 90mph. He also extracted nifty movement off the seam, helping him castle Tim Seifert with a nip-backer.
Later, the graphic showed that the ball had swung in by 0.3 degrees and then seamed away a whopping 0.8 degrees. In other words, the batter had next to no chance of defending that peach. It also told us enough about Bumrah’s traits: his ability to impart plenty of backspin and his unique release point, with him bowling from a wider angle.
In the final over of the innings, he also unleashed a fiery bumper to Ish Sodhi, which would have gladdened the hearts of the Indian think tank. Incidentally, there have been whispers that Bumrah is a bit reluctant to employ the bouncer after suffering a few back injuries. This was perhaps his way of showing the cricketing world that he still has that weapon in his armoury.
Despite Bumrah’s prowess across different phases of an innings, a few critics point out that he is at his most effective after the Powerplay. Numbers do back this up to a certain extent: 34 of his 106 T20I wickets have come in the Powerplay. However, he averages 26.06 in that phase, which is higher than his overall average of 18. More importantly, last year he averaged 66.7 in the Powerplay.
On his part, India bowling coach Morne Morkel said, “I am a big believer in taking wickets in the Powerplay and sending a strong message to the opposition. But he is so skilful that he can take wickets in the middle phase as well. At the end of the day, it is one thing for us to have a plan, but the bowler also needs to be comfortable with it.”
Morkel also delved deeper into his working relationship with Bumrah. He went on to coin a term for the pace bowler, which essentially indicated that he is the best in the business. “Jasprit is the best bowler in the world,” said Morkel. “But at the end of the day, everybody needs somebody to talk to. There’s always a lot of expectation on him to go and bowl that magical spell and win the game for us. Sometimes, that burden can take its toll.
“Having played the game and known a lot of the greats I played with in the past, we all need somebody to communicate with. I always check in with Bumrah to make sure he’s comfortable and agrees with the plans we’ve made. He’s like a Ferrari. If you can get the engine, the oil and everything else running well, the car will perform.”
As it happened, Bumrah came on as the first-change bowler in Guwahati. Peel back the layers and you will notice that he bowled 16 of his 24 deliveries on a good or back of a length – his natural length. In some ways, it lends credence to the idea that he is better suited to bowling with a slightly older ball.
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, it will be interesting to observe how India go about using their Ferrari.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news
